Fairfax County NAACP Hosting Community Gathering
The NAACP of Fairfax County is hosting a community and Black History Month commemoration on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Lorton: Fire Extinguished at Waste Facility
Covanta spokesperson James Regan said one Fairfax County Fire engine remained at the Covanta Fairfax Waste to Energy Facility on Furnace Road in Lorton to assist with the process of removing waste from the refuse pit and tipping floor, to ensure all the hot spots are doused. A two-alarm blaze began there Thursday evening, Feb. 2.
Fairfax County Names First Independent Police Auditor
Richard G. Schott, a 27-year veteran of the FBI, was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to be Fairfax County’s first-ever independent police auditor.
Fear Follows ICE Enforcement
Men said to be detained after leaving Mount Vernon shelter.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Mount Vernon.
FCPS Adopts $2.8 Billion Budget for FY2018
5.1 percent increase from 2017 prioritizes compensation and classroom resources.
The Fairfax County School Board formally adopted interim Superintendent Steve Lockard’s proposed $2.8 billion operating budget at its Feb. 9 meeting, following several work sessions and public hearings on the matter.
Chief Still Withholding Officer’s Name in Fatal Herndon Shooting
Temporary restraining order to not release name vacated by judge.
Fairfax County chief of police Edwin Roessler has yet to release the name of the 16-year veteran officer who fatally shot Mohammad Azim Doudzai, 32, at his Herndon-area home on Jan. 16 this year.
Lorton: Trash Burned at Covanta Waste Facility
Fire lasted through the weekend.
A fire started within the Covanta Fairfax Waste to Energy Facility in the 9800 block of Furnace Road in Lorton Thursday evening Feb. 2 and smoldered through the weekend.
Burke, Fairfax, Springfield: Bicycle Improvements Proposed for Braddock and Springfield Districts
Howard Albers of Springfield was encouraged by what he saw at the community meeting discussing proposed road striping changes in Braddock and Springfield Districts on Jan. 24.
A Look Inside Fairfax County Police Diversity Training
Commanders hear speeches on openness, forgiveness, professionalism.
West Springfield District Police Commander Cpt. Gervais T. Reed said when police officers leave the profession, some are in good shape, others are bitter.
Fairfax County: Body-Worn Cameras for Police Coming Closer
Policy addressing privacy, mental health, metrics needed before pilot begins.
Fairfax County Police could have a body-worn camera program for officers up and running as early as the fall. That’s what Police Chief Edwin Roessler and the Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee discussed at the committee’s first meeting of 2017 on Jan. 31.
Fairfax County: Deadline Reached for Civilian Review Panel Nominations
Supervisors to review applications before Feb. 14 meeting.
Jan. 31 was the final day for applications and nominations for Fairfax County’s first Civilian Review Panel, one of two new forms of independent oversight for the police department.
Chief Withholding Name of Officer in Herndon Fatal Shooting
Officer files temporary restraining order for Roessler to not release name.
Fairfax County chief of police Edwin Roessler has yet to release the name of the 16-year veteran officer who fatally shot Mohammad Azim Doudzai, 32, at his Herndon-area home on Jan. 16 this year. On Feb. 7, FCPD said the unnamed officer has filed a temporary restraining order to keep the name from being released.
Arrest Made in Shooting at Police Car in Great Falls
Suspect first apprehended in Herndon for waiving a gun.
Just before midnight on Jan. 22, several shots were fired at a marked police cruiser from another vehicle in the Great Falls area, Fairfax County police said.
Fairfax: Board Approves 2018-2022 Capital Improvement Program
Five-year plan includes three new elementary schools and one new high school.
This year, Fairfax County Public Schools experienced one of the smallest annual enrollment increases in nearly a decade: 1,368 students, compared to the average of 2,400 since the 2008-09 school year, bringing the total to 187,202.
Anti-Immigration Ban Rallies Held at Dulles
Demonstrators, volunteer attorneys and elected officials welcome travelers, extend help detainees.
Demonstrations sprang up at airports around the United States over the weekend, following an Executive Order by President Donald Trump that blocks travelers from seven largely Muslim countries — Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia — in the interests of more significant vetting and preventing would-be terrorists from entering the country.
Springfield: Community Outlook 2017
Springfield Area Ongoing Developments
The Connection keeps a running list of land use projects being planned, under construction and nearing completion in the community. The list is updated quarterly.
Lorton: Community Outlook 2017
Ongoing Area Developments
The Connection keeps a running list of land use projects being planned, under construction and nearing completion in the community. The list is updated quarterly.
Residents Go to Richmond
Virginia News
With the Virginia General Assembly underway, many individuals and groups are traveling to the capital of the Commonwealth to lobby lawmakers.
Burke Community Outlook 2017
Developments Underway in Burke Area
The Connection keeps a running list of land use projects being planned, under construction and nearing completion in the community. The list is updated quarterly.
Burke, Fairfax Station, Springfield: Reducing Braddock Road congestion to be discussed Feb. 6
Is Wider Better?
Next month, residents will hear an update on the status of the Braddock Road Multimodal Study. The purpose of the study is to examine ways to relieve traffic congestion along the major corridor from Guinea Road to the Beltway. Those could include intersection improvements, lane additions, pedestrian improvements, “and the issue of whether or not to do a transit center,” said supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock).
Burke: Friends of Sadie Blood Drive Returns Feb. 12
The eighth annual Friends of Sadie Blood Drive is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 12 from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Burke, Fairfax Station: ‘Carousel’ Coming to Lake Braddock
Musical Theatre department revives a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic.
After having done family-friendly and modern shows in recent years, Lake Braddock Secondary School musical theatre director Mary DeMarco of Clifton decided “it was time to do a classic.”
Burke: Serving Others on MLK Day at Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church
More than 50 volunteers spent time on Jan. 16 putting together 20 buckets of cleaning supplies for Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter residents who are transitioning to independent housing.
Fairfax County: Public hearing on yard waste bags follows premature administrative change
North Springfield resident Asher Grady has his leaf collecting down to a science. And with the mature trees around his quarter-acre lot, he needs to. Each fall, he said, he goes through between 60 and 80 bags of leaves, spending between eight and 12 hours to rake and bag them.
Lockard Channels Garza, Proposes $2.8 Billion FCPS Budget
FY2018 focuses on employee compensation and classroom resources.
Fairfax County Public Schools interim superintendent Steve Lockard is asking for $130.4 million more for the school system’s FY2018 operating budget than the previous year, a 4.9 percent increase, to a total of $2.8 billion.
Police Still Investigating Linked Homicides
Police are continuing to chase “all possible leads” in connection with a pair of murders in Burke and Springfield that took place just before Christmas.
No Injuries after VRE Train Hits Car in Clifton
No one was injured after a Virginia Railway Express train struck a car that had become stuck on the tracks in Clifton on Jan. 5, according to Fairfax County Fire & Rescue.
Partnering to Reduce Northern Virginia Congestion
Legislators tour past, present and future transportation projects.
The blessing of traffic, Martin Nohe said, is that “there’s lots of great transportation projects to choose from.”
Fairfax County: Tour de Mount Vernon
Supervisor Storck leads inaugural cross-district bike ride
“I wanted to get a ride in this year,” Storck told a group of 20 to 30 riders, himself bundled up in several layers and a neon green high-visibility jacket. The objective, Storck said, was to tour some of the trails and roadways running through Mount Vernon District, and along the way discuss some of the near to distant development plans for the area.
Fairfax: Police Auditor and Civilian Review Panel to Become Reality in 2017
Body cameras, mental health part of public safety focus
This year will see two historic firsts for Fairfax County, its police department and citizens: the beginning work of an Office of Police Auditor and Civilian Review Panel. “It’s very important people picked deal with facts, demand facts and make decisions based on facts,” Sayles said, “and communicate those in a way that’s not divisive." said Randy Sayles of Oak Hill who was a member of the Use of Force subcommittee of the Ad Hoc Commission.
Fairfax County: New Year, New Superintendent for County Schools
Budget shortfall, equity and nondiscrimination storylines for 2017
“What does equity really mean,” Corbett Sanders continued. “We’re going to have some healthful discussions about it. Everything from early education on.” The budget will once again be a major storyline for the school system, as Hynes said the board is currently looking at about a $90 million shortfall for FY 2018.
For Schools: New Year, New Superintendent
New Year, New Superintendent for FCPS
New School Superintendent
Police Auditor, Civilian Review Panel to Become Reality in 2017
Body cameras, mental health part of public safety focus.
Police Auditor, Civilian Review Panel to Become Reality in 2017
Police Say Burke and Springfield Homicides Appear to be Linked
Victims both 22, found with “upper body trauma”
On Dec. 22, Fairfax County Police responded to a call around 8:15 p.m. that Henok G. Yohannes, 22, had been found dead in his home in the 6400 block of Blarney Stone Ct. in Springfield.
Burke CARES Receives Toy Donation from Pack 1346
On Dec. 13, members of the Cub Scout Pack 1346 donated toys to the non-profit organization Burke CARES, that will then distribute them to children in need around the Burke Community. In addition to the annual gift drive, Burke CARES (Community Action Resources for Empowerment and Support) also partners with St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church in Fairfax each year to provide donated backpacks and school supplies to between 35 and 45 children in Burke.
Burke United Methodist Church hosts hypothermia prevention shelter.
Just before five p.m. on Dec. 14, the Burke United Methodist Church kitchen is bustling with volunteers. They’re preparing soup, snacks and dinner meals for between 25 and 30 homeless guests who will spend the night at the church.
Fairfax Station: Temple B’nai Shalom Students Build Canned Food Menorah
Hebrew School students at Temple B’Nai Shalom in Fairfax Station prepared for Chanukah by building a menorah from cans of food.
Fairfax County Sheriff’s Deputy Cleared in Fatal Shooting
Commonwealth’s Attorney: homicide was justified self-defense.
In a decision released Dec. 16, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh cleared Fairfax County Master Deputy Sheriff Patrick McPartlin of any criminal wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Yovani Amaya Gomez that took place Aug. 15 outside Inova Fairfax Hospital.
Fairfax County: Filling Oversight Positions
Supervisors outline procedures for bringing on police auditor and civilian review panel.
One week after voting to establish Fairfax County’s first Civilian Review Panel for police, Public Safety Committee chair supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) and Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova outlined steps to be taken to fill the nine-member panel, as well as hire an independent police auditor.
Lorton: Swim Teams Make Toys for Tots Splash
West Springfield High School varsity Swim & Dive teams
The South County and West Springfield High School varsity Swim & Dive teams donated gifts for the South Run RECenter Toys for Tots campaign prior to their meet against each other on Dec. 10.
Burke: Legislative Forum Held at Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church
The art of the possible
At the free public forum, Grow, Rhee and Bowers-Lanier stressed the importance for people who are concerned about climate change, immigration and economic justice, health care and other social justice issues to be both active and vigilant as these issues come before state and federal lawmakers in 2017.
Ad Hoc Commission Recommendations: 88 Percent Implemented
Public Safety Committee hears from Recruitment, Diversity and Vetting subcommittee chair.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is well on its way to implementing all recommendations from the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission. At the Dec. 13 meeting of the board’s Public Safety Committee, they announced 88 percent of the commission recommendations have been implemented or are soon to be so.
Fairfax County: Filling Oversight Positions
Supervisors outline procedures for bringing on police auditor and civilian review panel.
One week after voting to establish Fairfax County’s first Civilian Review Panel for police, Public Safety Committee chair supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) and Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova outlined steps to be taken to fill the nine-member panel, as well as hire an independent police auditor.
Burke, Fairfax Station, Springfield: Great Dads Turns 20
Nonprofit celebrates two decades training fathers to be better parents.
“I remember leaving the conference and driving past the exit for my office,” Stafford said, “looking back and seeing my briefcase, thinking about all the things I needed to get done, or thought I did.” But Stafford passed the exit, drove home and surprised his wife. He announced the family would be going to the zoo, “a nice little daycation.”
Supervisors Establish Fairfax County’s First Police Civilian Review Panel
As complement to police auditor, panel will review abuse and misconduct complaints.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 on Tuesday, Dec. 6 to establish a Civilian Review Panel to provide oversight of Fairfax County Police and to hear complaints of police misconduct or abuse of authority.
Bumped, Bruised, Better
Springfield man recovers from mid-race Ironman accident.
Bill Vitaletti of Springfield had fractured his jaw in three places, broken a bone in his eye socket, chipped a tooth and cracked two other teeth that would eventually have to be pulled. But he didn’t know any of that at the time. What he knew was he still had at least 20 miles left to bike and 26.2 miles to run before completing his first Ironman triathlon.
Springfield's Ironman
Springfield man recovers from mid-triathlon biking accident.
Bill Vitaletti of Springfield had fractured his jaw in three places, broken a bone in his eye socket, chipped a tooth and cracked two other teeth that would eventually have to be pulled.
Lorton: Holiday Homes Tour ‘Warm Hospitality’
Clifton residents welcome visitors for Holiday Homes Tour.
The Currans had the old house demolished and a new one built in its place. One that would fit the character of the historic neighborhood.
Fairfax Station: Thirtieth Joint Thanksgiving Eve Service Held at Temple B’Nai Shalom
Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax Station and Lutheran Church of the Abiding Presence in Burke held a 30th consecutive joint Thanksgiving Eve service Nov. 23 at the Jewish congregation’s synagogue.
Celebrating Diversity in Burke
33rd Interfaith Thanksgiving service at Burke Presbyterian Church celebrates differences.
“You can lament about the hate in the country right now,” she said, “but there’s a great sense of readiness to act in a different way, that we’re capable of being different and being together.” Co-pastors at Burke Presbyterian Church Rev. Meg Peery McLaughlin and her husband Rev. Jarrett insist the interfaith Thanksgiving service held in their worship hall on Nov. 22 was not in response to any perceived disunity in the country following the Presidential election.